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by Colin Ong Tau Shien
The current Covid pandemic has not been easy for anybody. Not many people will forget the year 2020 and onwards. No one has been spared by its disruption of daily life routine. What makes it worse is that it comes together with the need of wearing a mask, social distancing and vaccination. In some more unfortunate cases, it brings along the grim reaper.
From my own observation, many travel plans have been put on hold and dining out has been a surprising luxury. Our basic ability to communicate has been modified to be taken over by Zoom and many students have been used to the term Home-based Learning (HBL).
Even the workplace has not been spared. After the anticipation in the period leading up to 2020, where there is heightened fear that Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Robotics may take away our precious jobs and the mainstream arrival of cryptocurrencies that promises us better returns with even more investment volatility, we are now encouraged to work from home and get used to Zoom-communications. We have never encountered feelings of both isolation, confusion and helplessness all at the same time.
Here are some tips to get us through:
1. Slowdown
We must learn to slow down and take stock of what has happened for the past two years. There must be a quiet and humble reflection of past events. Take your time. You are not coerced to use Tiktok timing.
2. TV Streaming
It is OK sometimes to catch up with our favourite programmes through streaming services. We can use our mobile devices to connect to this world. Netflix and Disney + surfing… why not.
3. Relook Our Targets
There may be a possibility that our life targets were created pre-Covid and they may not be relevant in the light of Covid now. On the other hand, Covid may have brought in new business opportunities, and we may have to relook our sales forecast.
4. Working From Home
The current situation of working from home may not be attractive to many because these workers miss the social nature of meeting up with colleagues. There is an added stress that the boss may not find enough evidence to be pleased with our work and that we may have to throw Key Performance Indicators (KPI) out of the window. Try to make your working area in your home more conducive and private.
5. New Learning
We can learn from YouTube and even TikTok platforms and always keep our minds open to upskilling. There are many that are being offered so do remember to approach your trade organisation to ask for accreditation advice. If the learning course is not exam-based, remember to choose a course that has relevant projects that are reviewed by reputable subject experts.
6. Travel
Maybe we must get used to not having any more business trips. Rather, we have to learn to use Zoom to connect with our foreign business collaborators. This may pose a new set of problems because we are challenged to sound more persuasive and clear through the internet.
7. Exercise
Use this opportunity to exercise more and have a better diet. This will allow you to be much more focused and energised the whole day.
8. Do not hoard
Maybe you can relook your immediate environment and start to declutter. You can also start to colour code your stuff so that you can be more time-efficient and find what you need much faster.
9. Listen to Podcasting
I am a business podcaster and have also found a lot of satisfaction in being able to focus on the message and takeaways of podcasts.
